Trump Fish: Iraqi restaurant spells out
Kurdish faith in president-elect
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[December 14, 2016]
By Stephen Kalin
DUHOK, Iraq (Reuters) - The newest
enterprise bearing Donald Trump's name is not a five-star hotel or an
exclusive golf club. It is a restaurant in northern Iraq serving
fire-roasted carp for $10 a kilo which the U.S. president-elect probably
doesn't even know exists.
Trump Fish, whose logo features the businessman-turned-politician's
distinctive yellow mane, opened about 10 days ago in the Kurdish city of
Duhok, an hour's drive from the latest battle against Islamic State
militants in Mosul.
Owner Nedyar Zawity says he registered the Trump name months ago with
Kurdish authorities. The 31-year-old entrepreneur insists the branding
is more about turning a profit than endorsing politics, but he likes
Trump's strong personality and reputation as a successful businessman.
Above all, he appreciates the president-elect's promise to ramp up
support to the Kurds and their peshmerga fighters, a sensitive
proposition in a country where competing pro-government forces vie for
Western backing.
"I personally love Trump for this," Zawity told Reuters. "The name Trump
is beloved in Kurdistan."
The Kurds, oppressed under successive Arab governments in Iraq, are
perhaps the biggest victors of the new order born out of the U.S.-led
invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
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While Iraqi Arabs further south have been gripped by sectarian conflict
for more than a decade, Kurdistan remained relatively safe, enjoyed an
economic boom and steadily developed its autonomy.
More recently, Kurdish peshmerga fighters - whose name literally means
"those who face death" - have proven vital U.S. allies in the war
against Islamic State, which seized a third of the country in 2014 when
Iraqi forces collapsed.
The Kurds have pushed for years to receive direct support instead of aid
funneled through Baghdad - something Washington has resisted in pursuit
of a strategy to prevent Iraq fragmenting.
Trump gave the Kurds hope that this might change when, during the
campaign, he praised their fighters’ skill and loyalty and called for
them to be armed. "I'm a big fan of the Kurdish forces,” he said in
July.
Trump's position on full Kurdish independence is unclear and his office
did not respond to a request for comment.
But many Kurds will be hoping that his endorsement of their military
prowess will translate into political support for the long-held ambition
of statehood for their autonomous region, which relies heavily for
income on foreign aid and oil sales.
COURTING CONTROVERSY
Trump Fish, located between an appliance shop and a laundromat, has not
yet turned a profit, according to Zawity, who runs the eatery with his
three brothers.
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![](../images/121416pics/news_t35.jpg)
A restaurant named Trump Fish is seen in the Kurdish city of Duhok,
Iraq, December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Ari Jalal
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The dining room was empty when Reuters visited at lunchtime, save a
few customers who had ordered takeaway.
The restaurant offers just one dish: masgouf, a grilled fish farmed
in local rivers and seasoned with olive oil, pepper, lemon and
spices. It is considered Iraq's national dish.
The Trump name has helped attract customers, according to Zawity,
including Westerners who say they don't necessarily support the
Republican figure but dine here for novelty's sake.
"He is an American, maybe he is not my favorite, but he is still
American. So I'm happy to try a restaurant with an American name
with Kurdish-Iraqi food," said David Hirsch, a librarian at the
University of California, Los Angeles.
Yet it has also garnered enmity from some quarters, including online
critics who accuse Zawity of being an American or Israeli agent and
have sent him threats.
Some customers upset with Trump's campaign pledge to impose a
temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States have boycotted
the restaurant, he said.
Echoing an opinion held by many Trump supporters in the region,
Zawity attributes the proposed ban to the demands of campaigning and
does not believe it will be implemented.
He even hopes to take his Trump caricature logo to the United States
and open another restaurant there. "Give me a visa and I will go
tomorrow," he said with a chuckle.
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Zawity could face resistance to such expansion from Trump's own
operation, which relies heavily for revenues on branding and
merchandising its name.
The incoming leader of the world’s superpower is less likely to
challenge another show of Kurdish support: Local media reported last
weekend that a peshmerga fighter on the front lines against Islamic
State had named his newborn son "Trump".
(Editing by Dominic Evans and Jeremy Gaunt)
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